How to Inculcate Sanskara to your Children

Educate your children through your own righteous actions i.e. Sanskara, and not just preaching. During Vedic period, (400-1000 B.C.), educations and knowledge were imparted through ‘GURUKULA’, the aim was to inculcate SANSKARA among the students. The important part of Gurukula Education was to impart knowledge of medicine/Ayurveda, Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads. Even students were made conscious to discharge duties in social and political fields, regarded as SEWA in Sanskrit.

Every work that we do reflects our Sanskara. For example, throwing the banana peels is an ‘action‘, throwing it in a dustbin is a ‘character or nature‘, whereas throwing it on the ground is ‘perversion‘. Picking up the peels from the ground by someone else and putting it in the dustbin is ‘culture‘.

What Vedic Sanskara Says?

There is a need to inculcate Sanskara for good thoughts and right actions. According to Vedic Sanskara, each and every action should be virtuous/ethical in nature.

Sanskara means multiplication of our merits and division of our demerits. It means inculcating good habits and removing the bad ones.

What does teaching good values to children mean?

It means teaching them values such as paying salutation to parents everyday by touching their feet, not finding faults with others, etc. However, these values should not be taught to them just by preaching them or by bribing them with chocolates and ice-cream, but by setting an example through our own actions. If a 5-year-old child is instructed to touch the feet of elderly people daily, he will do it for a few days and then stop it. He won’t do it regularly even if he is taught the reasons behind it. However, if the parents themselves touch the feet of their elders every day, the children too will imitate them and in a few days, even they will touch the feet of their parents and grandparents. You will see that they will follow you.

Inculcate Sanskara to your child

Referring to the Ancient Teaching Styles, it’s highly unlikely that the knowledge prescribed in Vedas and Puranas would be appropriate today for each and every one of us. But, there is no prescribed way to inculcate Sanskara in your child. Just do it by listening to yourself.

Makar Sankranti Festival Celebration with Underprivileged Children

Like, we did it by organizing a surprise activities for my 3 years old son Kushagra, on the occasion of Indian first new year festival called Makar Sankranti/ Khichadi/ Gudi Parva/ Pongal /Maghi etc, so that he can follow the Culture with Sanskara and Sewa(Social Service) together.

We invited small kids of our apartment household helpers. The invitation is for the Satwic Lunch (based on Yoga Sutra) on this festival Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated across the country in different ways and the cultural significance of the festival varies geographically as we move from one state to another, with every state celebrating and welcoming the new season of harvest in their own indigenous manner.

There are some pictures, with value aided knowledge, how a 3-years child is following his mother in each activity.

Mummy mummy!! Lets welcome my new friends

Mummy I want to apply “Chandanam”

Mummy, I want to apply Chandanam

Look how kid is following his mother

Significance of Chandanam or Tilak(Sandal paste)

Tilak is applied on the space between the two eyebrows, at the third eye chakra. It has a very cooling effect. The sandal paste has great medicinal value, apart from the spiritual influence. This paste will nullify the heating effect when your child concentrate on studies or during meditation.

I too want to serve plates, Mummy!

Kid can take responsibility in household things too

Serving Some Satwic Food

Made up of rice, pulses, vegetables etc. Nutritious and easy to digest. Yummy…

Importance of Satwic Food

Sattvic diet includes food and eating habit that is “pure, essential, natural, vital, energy-containing, fresh. It purifies the body and calm the mind.

When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.
~Ayurvedic Proverb

Mummy I want to eat with my new friends on the mat

Mummy, please give me food too. I am hungry……

Significance of eating on the mat with crossed legs

It’s not just sitting on the floor, rather its a YOGA. When you sit on the floor with crossed legs, is called Sukhasana, which is very good for our health in terms of: –

Lubrication of Joints

Blood Pressure subsidises

Breathing slows down

Muscular tensions decrease

Helps in improving the digestion. Constantly moving back and forth during eating process, abdomen muscles activated and leads to better secretion of the digestive juices and in turn food is digested properly.

Sukhasana, recommended for easy digestion.

Even I want to eat with my hands, please mummy! no spoon

I like it. Tasty…..

Significance of eating with your hands

According to Ayurvedic texts, we are all made up of five main pranasor life energies and these five elements correspond to each finger on our hand. Thumb indicates space, index finger relates to air, middle finger indicates sky, ring finger stands for water and little finger indicates earth. Each finger aids in the transformation of food, before it passes on to internal digestion. An imbalance of any one of these elements can lead to diseases.

Sharing things with new friends

Keeping someone smile, is heaven.

Summary

What I meant to say is ‘Sanskara’ is like plantation of a seed of human values. And, it enters into the subconscious mind during his childhood. The adherence of these values becomes part of his nature and keeps on guiding him/her throughout his/her life. A person acts according to the ideals which exist in his subconscious without being aware of them. Thus, his decisions, his reactions to others and the quality of his actions depend upon the values existing in his subconscious mind.

‘Sanskara’ purifies feelings, thoughts and actions/deeds and adds momentum of life. It purifies inner conscious of the person and makes life meaningful. ‘Sanskara’ adds good conduct, good thoughts and human qualities to a man’s personality and sublimates his mind.

‘Sanskara’ is a process, which transforms a person into an ideal & outstanding personality by eradicating/controlling the negative mental tendencies existing in him and by inculcating human values & qualities to make him more dynamic, discreet, duty conscious and responsible towards himself as well as family and the society.

Thus, inculcating Sanskara means teaching through our own righteous actions and not just preaching.

Author: Sushma

Sushma Bharti, an MBA graduate, internationally trained Yoga expert, founder of yogatute.com. Currently, working as Yoga Consultant in BMS Yoga and Rehab under BMS Education Trust. Also associated with Wellbeeing Wellness, Manyata Embassy Sports Zone , ACC Cement Company for providing yoga services.
She has been teaching yoga from past 3 years, and has 12 years of personal Sadhna experience.
She has a strong believe in providing yoga services by connecting to people, their health issues and then linking yogic practice through providing awareness about body structure (anatomy and physiology) to them.